A Cultural History of Law in the Modern Age Volume 6

"The period since the First World War has been a century distinguished by the loss of any unitary foundation for truth, ethics, and the legitimate authority of law. With the emergence of radical pluralism, law has become the site of extraordinary creativity and, on occasion, a source of rights for those historically excluded from its protection. A Cultural History of Law in the Modern Age tells stories of human struggles in the face of state authority - including Aboriginal land claims, popular resistance to corporate power, and the inter-generational ramifications of genocidal state violence. The essays address how, and with what effects, different expressive modes (ceremonial dance, live street theater, the acoustics of radio, the affective range of film, to name a few) help to construct, memorialize, and disseminate political and legal meaning. Drawing upon a wealth of visual, textual and sound sources, A Cultural History of Law in the Modern Age presents essays that examine key cultural case studies of the period on the themes of justice, constitution, codes, agreements, arguments, property and possession, wrongs, and the legal profession."- Opened up by the revival of Classical thought but riven by the violence of the Reformation and Counter Reformation, the terrain of Early Modern law was constantly shifting. The age of expansion saw unparalleled degrees of internal and external exploration and colonization, accompanied by the advance of science and the growing power of knowledge. A Cultural History of Law in the Early Modern Age, covering the period from 1500 to 1680, explores the war of jurisdictions and the slow and contested emergence of national legal traditions in continental Europe and in Britannia. Most particularly, the chapters examine the European quality of the Western legal traditions and seek to link the political project of Anglican common law, the mos britannicus, to its classical European language and context. Drawing upon a wealth of textual and visual sources, A Cultural History of Law in the Early Modern Age presents essays that examine key cultural case studies of the period on the themes of justice, constitution, codes, agreements, arguments, property and possession, wrongs, and the legal profession Volume 1. A cultural history of law in antiquity / edited by Julen Etxabe, University of Helsinki, Finland -- Volume 2. A cultural history of law in the middle ages / edited by Emanuele Conte, Roma Tre University, Italy and EHESS, Paris, France and Laurent Mayali, University of California at Berkeley, USA -- Volume 3. A cultural history of law in the early modern age / edited by Peter Goodrich, Cardozo School of Law, New York, USA -- Volume 4. A cultural history of law in the age of enlightenment / edited by Rebecca Probert, University of Warwick, UK and John Snape, University of Warwick, UK -- Volume 5. A cultural history of law in the age of reform / edited by Ian Ward, Newcastle University, UK -- Volume 6. A cultural history of law in the modern age / edited by Richard K Sherwin, New York University Law School, USA and Danielle Celermajer, University of Sydney, Australia Cover Contents List of Figures Notes on Contributors Series Preface Introduction 1 Justice: Klimt’s Jurisprudence—Sovereign Violence and the Rule of Law 2 Constitution: Performance Evidence in Aboriginal Land Claims 3 Codes: Judging the Rwandan Soundscape 4 Agreements: Truth, Politics, and the Value of Performing Impersonations 5 Arguments: Should Videos of Trees Have Standing? An Inquiry into the Legal Rites of Unnatural Objects at the ICTY 6 Property and Possession: On the Illegality of Situational Art 7 Wrongs: A Conversation with Filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer 8 Legal Profession: Beaten Black and Blue—Lessons from Watching the Rodney King Case Notes Bibliography Index